Beautiful, Vintage Kodachrome Photos of the American Southwest

During the 1950s, Martin Karplus, a Professor of Theoretical Chemistry and Biophysics at Harvard, traveled through the Southwest as a post-doctorate fellow. The richly-hued images that he captured on Kodachrome during his visit, which we spotted thanks to The Morning News, are a reminder of why this part of the country has always been so romanticized, particularly by creative types; from the sweeping vistas of golden sand and rock formations to the impossibly blue skies, it’s a beautiful backdrop filled with an unlikely mix of wide-eyed tourists, recent settlers, and the Native American people who have always called the area home. Click through to travel back in time thanks to Karplus’ impressive photo set.